Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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575. To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide details regarding the studies that confirm that fluoride in water is good; if he will indicate if any other countries that mandate by law for water fluoridation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41493/14]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Water fluoridation is the adjustment of a naturally occurring element found in water in order to prevent tooth decay. Many countries have water fluoridation schemes, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia and New Zealand. The balance of scientific evidence worldwide confirms that water fluoridation, at the optimal level, is a safe and effective method of protecting the oral health of the population.

Fluoridation is one of the most widely studied public health policy initiatives in the world. There have been a number of relevant WHO documents, notably "Fluorides and Human Health", Monograph Series 59 (1970), WHO Geneva; "Fluorides and Oral Health", Technical Report Series No. 846 (1994), WHO Geneva; and "Environmental Health Criteria 227 FLUORIDES", (2002), WHO Geneva. The Department of Health contributed to the review by the EU Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER, 2011) of any new evidence on the hazard profile, health effects, and human exposure to fluoride and the fluoridating agents of drinking water.

More recent studies which confirm the benefits of fluoridation include the report by Public Health England "Water fluoridation: health monitoring report for England (2014)" and the review commissioned by the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor and the Royal Society of New Zealand, "Health Effects of Water Fluoridation: a Review of the Scientific Evidence (2014)". The Department of Health keeps this policy under constant review. As part of this ongoing work, a review of evidence on the impact of water fluoridation at its current level on the health of the population is being conducted by the Health Research Board on behalf of the Department. The review is due to be completed by the end of this year.